Category Archives: Organization & Solutions

I love to organize and I want to make it easier for you to feel, stay and be organized.

We keep our house pretty tidy all of the time. I’ve never apologized as visitors come over and, in fact, we’re ready for guests all of the time. And yes, we enjoy living in our house and still make good use of the areas (I have piles of projects to rival the best of them), but we know that we feel better when our house is tidy and it’s easier to accomplish than you think. I promise. I’m going to share my best ideas with you for how I make this happen with just a little bit of effort every day.

Simple tips when you’re trying to organize anything:

Focus your efforts on the spaces you see the most often.

If it’s filling your life with stress, maybe it shouldn’t be in your life (you don’t need so much stuff).

I love to organize and I want to make it easier for you to feel, stay and be organized.

I’m ready to share my secrets of how I remember to do everything. And how I usually get everything done in record time with personal, detailed follow-up. It’s not rocket-science, it’s literally one simple tip: I write it down. This strategy will revolutionize your tasks, make you more accomplished and remove so much stress from your mind – it will change your life. I’m going to share my best ideas with you for how I make this happen in any instance to ensure I get the job done.

Simple tips when you’re trying to organize anything:

Use the strategy that works best for you.

Be clear with what you write down – you need to understand it when you reference it again – even if it’s hours, days or weeks later.

Have a start-to-finish system to turn your task from an idea to a completed success.

I love to organize and I want to make it easier for you to feel, stay and be organized.

Let’s talk a little bit about why you may feel disorganized. So many people tell me that they feel like they can’t get started and they’re overwhelmed thinking of everything that needs to be done. I can understand. I’ve let a few things slide and getting them back to a functional level has taken more time, energy and mental focus that I believed it would need. But there’s hope!

Simple tips when you’re trying to organize anything:

Plan your project at a time during the day when you can be the most alert.

Only think about what you need to accomplish for a small space or task.

Find a quiet place to begin your thinking process – if you don’t have a quiet place, ask for help. My husband will watch our kids or I’ll plan my time before everyone is awake.

I love to organize and I want to make it easier for you to feel, stay and be organized.

Let’s start with your kitchen and your food. We spend a lot of time thinking about meals – and we have nearly 1000 meals to eat/make in a year. So it helps you – your wallet and your planning – to organize your food so you make the best use of everything you have.

Simple tips when you’re trying to organize anything:

Plan time in your schedule to organize.

Don’t try to do everything today.

Realize that it’s going to get a little messy before it gets organized.

I love to organize and I want to make it easier for you to feel, stay and be organized.

Let’s talk about your workout routine – No, I don’t mean your actual workout. Let’s start with the routine of making sure you’re always ready to work out. The easier you make it to get yourself prepared for your workout, the more likely you area to ALWAYS make it to your exercise spot.

Simple tips when you’re trying to organize anything:

Plan time in your schedule to set up your routine.

Find supplies that will work – you don’t always need to purchase new things.

Realize it’s going to take a little time to get used to your plan, but it will make your life easier (and healthier!)

Some days I feel like I have it all together. And some days – as a working mom – I feel like I’m a failure as an employee, as a mom and as a person.

I debated for a while whether to post today – I let a few things really get to me, and because of that, it was not one of my best days – but I think it’s important to be honest, so here I am.

I had a sick kid today and a full day of work that I needed to get done and limited time off to spare. My solution was to take my sick kid into work – not the best for the kid, my co-workers or myself. But when you’re trying to make it all work, sometimes you come up with crazy solutions (that maybe don’t always make sense!). The end result ended up being fine and I was able to best help my kid and get my daily work done, but it wouldn’t have happened if I’d been left up to my own solution (which, let me repeat, was not a good solution).

You can’t do it all by yourself. Believe me, I’ve tried again and again. And I’ve failed again and again. I can do a lot of things. I’m proud of my successes and confident in my ability. And I know that as I continue to learn, I continue to grow. Here’s the important lessons I was reminded of today:

Remember, you have others to help you. Let them be kind.

I never ask for help. I hate asking for help. I want to be able to do all things and do all things perfectly. And I know that isn’t realistically possible for any human to accomplish – much less to try to maintain on a regular basis. But I still want those things, badly. So when I need help – really need it – I have to mentally psych myself up to ask someone to help me.

And guess what, when I ask others for help it’s usually no big deal to that person and I’m better off for having involved them, letting them help me, and building a new part of our relationship. Ask for help when you need it. Ask for help more often.

And if you’re having a hard time asking for help (like me), accept the help when it is freely given to you. In an important conversation today, I was offered help. And even with the 1000 things running through my mind – my response was, “Thank you for helping me, I appreciate it.”

Figure out what works for your energy or emotional release. And do that thing.

When I’m starting to feel my stress build to the point that I’m not sure I can take it, I try to find something to help exhaust me. Now, I’m not talking about mental exhaustion – I’m usually already there by this point! I’ve found what helps me calm down is something that can take my mind off of my stress, release all of the extra (stress) energy that I’m internalizing, and something that is good for me. I usually will exercise – and it seems to work. Today, I went to the gym after work and focused on the workout. About 15 minutes in, I decided to add some extra weights during my weightlifting class and by the end of the routine – I was exhausted and REFRESHED – because I was thinking about the exercise and not my stress.

Keeping the stress with you is only going to do damage to you. Get it out in a healthy way that actually eliminates the exhaustion – it could be talking to someone, it could be running, it could be getting enough sleep. Find what works for you and make it a priority to make it happen.

Tackle things in small pieces. Remember small progress is still progress.

I often wake up in the middle of the night when I’m stressed and think about all of the problems of the world. I need to fix everything and I’m too sleepy and disoriented for anything to make sense, so I spin my wheels and make no progress. I’ve started forcing myself to write down the real things that I’ve developed and send them to myself in email. Then I do something else until I can go back to sleep (so I don’t think about everything that has ever existed in the world that I need to fix).

When I wake up and I’m thinking clearly, I look at my email and am able to write down my “real” tasks so I can make progress today. Then I focus only on what I can accomplish today or what I planning I need to accomplish so I can make tiny progress tomorrow. When I think about the here-and-now, I realize that I’m making progress and it’s making a big difference over time.

There are many times where I have to tell my kids “No” because of something related to work or not take a work-related opportunity because of what it means for my kids. I realize it’s the balance that will always exist in my life and I’m comfortable with my decisions and my progress. I know they’ll be good days, challenging days and important days in the future. I’m working to make sure that my days are purposeful and that I make a difference with what I can do.

I’ve learned is purposeful positive thinking makes an enormous difference in my life, and I think it will benefit you as well. When I’m feeling like a failure as a working mom, I remind myself of the power of purposeful positive thinking, because it works. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do it all,” I remember, “I’m doing the best I can and my best is enough.” Switching my thinking is a valuable reminder that gives me strength in challenging situations and makes me continue to do the best I can – to be the best mom, the best employee and the best person.

I think that’s all I can ever really hope for. And I’m happy with that. Because my best is enough.

A friend of mine shared thoughts recently that to build courage in others, we should be more focused on encouragement. It was the right message at the right time for me. Instead of New Year’s Resolutions, I theme my years (and I’ve been doing it since 2003), and focus on improving my life in a key area for the whole year.

I’d been struggling with what to have as my focus for 2018, too much on my mind and the thoughts running through my head, “Does anyone really need my help? What do I have to offer?”

And then I’m reminded that each of us has unique talents and gifts. My strengths include organization and communication – and I love sharing what I’ve learned with you. I know it’s helpful to be reminded what you do well and get tips for making improvements.

About Andrea B.

Hello! Glad you've found this site.
I want to help you with solutions that make your life easier, calmer and better through (doable!) innovative organization strategies and realistic healthy living. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you. I also work in marketing, fundraising strategy, event facilitation and volunteer management. I love running, lifting weights, clean eating and healthy living.